Ye Jingyu stood suspended in mid-air, gazing upon the smoke-choked expanse of Yun Jing City, his eyes wide with horror. What—what was happening? In only six days, how could Yun Jing have fallen into this state? Had the Tian Yuan Empire attacked again? But that couldn't be right. After Xuanyuan Xiaozhan’s defeat, his reputation as the God of War was shattered, and he was currently tied down in Tian Yuan City, busy suppressing various rebellions. Where would he find the time to attack again? Moreover, even if he dared to march, it would take at least a month to reach them.
Seeing this catastrophe, Ye Jingyu was consumed by anxiety. He slapped his mount, Ni Bo, and urged it toward the Imperial Palace. Luo Ling'er was still suffering from a potent poison; no one knew her condition, and if the palace had also descended into chaos, the consequences were unthinkable…
On every street, soldiers clad in red armor and blue armor thronged the thoroughfares. Ye Jingyu saw clearly: these were Qin Yunxiao’s Yan Army and the Hai family’s private forces!
How could there be so many? Could the Crown Prince be staging a rebellion? The thought sent Ye Jingyu’s anxiety soaring, accelerating his journey to the palace…
At this moment, the entire Yun Jing City was largely under the control of the Crown Prince, Luo Haitian. The Minister of War, the Minister of Rites, and the Minister of Revenue had long since sworn allegiance to him. He had already amassed a significant faction, and now, with the rebellion launched, nearly half the city stood by his side…
Especially the Minister of War, who held the military tally. Using his authority, he had redeployed all the defensive forces surrounding Yun Jing. Now, only the eighty-thousand Jin Army and fewer than ten-thousand Tie Army remained loyal to the Emperor within Yun Jing…
Even the Shadow Guard, directly under His Majesty’s command, had been bought over by the Crown Prince…
The rebel forces had now arrived before the Imperial Palace, completely encircling the entire structure. Leading the massive assault was the Marquis Xiaotian, Qin Yunxiao.
He was clad in bright red armor, cloaked in a crimson mantle that made him appear spirited and full of vigor…
One hundred thousand Yan Army troops, one hundred thousand Yun Army troops, plus fifty thousand private soldiers. With the Yun Jing City Defending Forces all drawn away, they now faced only these meager fewer than one hundred thousand Jin Army soldiers. If he couldn't breach the palace now, he might as well die…
Luo Xiaofeng had already been wounded by his own father. That monster named Liang Xiaoke had been sealed by several Soul Immortals summoned by His Highness the Crown Prince. As for Ye Jingyu, he had vanished somewhere. Even if he were present, what storm could one man truly stir? The highest echelon of power in the Imperial City now was only Nangong Shang, standing right before them.
This man had also reached the peak of the Grandmaster realm. His companions, Bieli and Ying Xiaoxiao, along with Ye Longyi, were all masters of the Grandmaster realm. Once these few were eliminated, the Jin Guards would be rendered combat-ineffective…
It was just that damned Xiao Geng who absolutely refused to act. But it didn't matter; they still had Lei Jun’s artillery. He refused to believe they couldn't be blasted to dust…
Qin Yunxiao gazed at the deep crimson palace walls, a faint smile playing on his lips. Once the palace was breached, the Crown Prince could ascend the throne legitimately. The overall situation would be settled, and no one would dare make trouble. As for himself, he was certainly destined to be enfeoffed as a State Duke…
A lifetime of splendor and riches awaited his enjoyment…
“Men! Bring up the great cannons! I refuse to believe these people can hold out against the power of artillery!” Qin Yunxiao commanded coldly…
“Yes…” Immediately, a contingent of soldiers wheeled forward more than ten massive cannons, positioning them squarely on the plaza outside the palace grounds. The dark muzzles were aimed directly at the immense palace gates…
“General Nangong, they’ve brought up the cannons. The brothers might not be able to hold on much longer!” At this moment, Bieli, who had been constantly at Nangong Shang’s side, spoke up upon seeing the rebels wheeling out the artillery.
Nangong Shang had naturally noticed the dozen or so dark cannons. Ever since Ye Jingyu departed, he had made every preparation. But who would have anticipated that the faction surrounding the Crown Prince possessed such deep reserves? Even Zhuge Yi Shi hadn't foreseen this.
In these past few days, the Jin Guards had suffered tens of thousands of casualties. The elite forces at his side were either wounded or exhausted, unable to exert a decisive influence. He had secretly hoped the enemy would refrain from using massive weaponry like artillery out of consideration for the sanctity of the Imperial Palace, but he never imagined Qin Yunxiao would actually dare employ cannon fire…
As a result, their already strained defense lines were likely to be mercilessly torn apart…
“Let me handle it!” Just then, a powerful voice boomed from behind Nangong Shang. Immediately after, Hu Yanqi strode forward, his torso bare, a long bow strapped to his back…
Accompanying him was Chi Yixiu, wielding a gargantuan battle axe…
“Brother Hu Yan, Brother Chi Yi, your injuries…” Nangong Shang’s face was etched with concern. These past few days, it had been these men leading the brothers from the Southern Savage Forest to resist the enemy onslaught. Had their immense combat power not bolstered the defenders' morale, they might have already been defeated…
“Don’t worry, we know what we’re doing!” Hu Yanqi replied calmly, drawing his long bow and nocking a pitch-black arrow. His eyes were filled with murderous intent…
Most of the archers from the Hu Yan Tribe who had followed him were already dead, and the remainder were utterly exhausted, stripped of any fighting capability. This alone spoke volumes about the grueling nature of the fighting over these few days…
At that precise moment, the rebel artillery began its preparation. A lieutenant was about to personally light the fuse. Just as he raised the torch, a dark meteor streaked across the sky. Before he could react, he felt a sharp pain in his neck…
Looking down, he saw a black arrow embedded in his throat. Despair flooded his eyes as a gurgling sound escaped his lips, and his body slumped lifelessly to the ground…
Immediately following that, several sounds of tearing air echoed overhead. Every man attempting to light the cannons was struck down by an arrow. Instantly, the area directly in front of the artillery became a killing zone…
“It’s him again, it’s him! He’s come out again!” A cry of terror rose from the rebel ranks. Clearly, Hu Yanqi had instilled a profound fear of death in them over these past few days. Those fatal arrows were the very summons of the Death God; scarcely a single shaft had ever missed its mark…
From common soldiers to the most formidable Grandmaster experts, all had fallen beneath those black arrows…
Even Qin Yunxiao dared not reveal himself carelessly…
It was at this precise juncture that the palace gates, which had remained tightly shut, suddenly burst open. Then, a phalanx of heavily armored brutes wielding enormous battle axes rushed out…